Urban Cone Discuss Record Deals and Old School Love

Fresh out of Sweden, Urban Cone has been busy in the studio producing new work. In late January, the first taste of their new defined sound has come across in their new single, “Old School.” Pop synths collide with relatable lyrics about the shallowness of today’s dating world to create a danceable splash back into the music scene that is sure to be on your next summer playlist. Lithium staff writer Samantha Schraub talked with the guys as they shared their latest accomplishments, a few words of wisdom, and of course, their latest single.Lithium: First of all, congratulations on your accomplishments so far! How does it feel to have signed with Interscope Records for the U.S.?Urban Cone: It's definitely a dream come true. In Sweden, signing a record deal with a US label was beyond our imagination. We're super stoked and we're [going to] show America what Sweden is all about.Lithium: Your newest single "Old School" was also released this year. This song has been described as "an ode to the past" that clearly shows a distaste for the involvement of social media in relationships and a preference to do things the old-fashioned way. What was the songwriting process like for this song in particular?Urban Cone: We talked about the concept as you mentioned, [and how] dating apps are taking away the beautiful thing about love. So, we wrote a song about old-school love and trying to find a love that is more real.Lithium: Did the idea for the song come from a group venting session, or maybe the outcome of a really bad first date?Urban Cone: We were talking about bad Tinder dates and how shallow it can be. [Laughs] We floated away into our imagination[s] and created this old-school love world that we really loved and that's how the concept of the song was born.Lithium: Between the album cover of "Old School" to the new music video, the band has such a defined funky, retro image! When you were first forming the band, did you all have the same idea of what image you wanted to present visually?Urban Cone: In the band, Jacob is the mastermind of all our artwork. He always has his own secret hidden messages in our artwork and he spends hours and hours finishing it. Try to find the chocolate bar in the cover photo for "Old School" and you'll have the chance to win a brand new car.Lithium: Changing gears to talk about your second album, Polaroid Memories, you released "Come Back to Me" with Tove Lo. What is it like to collaborate in the music field?Urban Cone: We wanted to work with Tove Lo ever since we heard her first record. [W]hen she replied to our text, we felt like kids on Christmas Eve. We love collabs and we'd love to do some more of them in the future.Lithium: What was the best piece of advice given to you throughout your life as a band whether it pertain to songwriting, touring, or life in general?Urban Cone: "Patience, young padawan."Lithium: Any hints as to what's to come next from you guys?Urban Cone: We've been in the studio now for so long and developing our sound, so right now we're super excited to show people what we've been working on. And what we can tell you right now is [that] it's really awesome, cool, funky, fresh, blooming, great freaking songs.Lithium: Finally, this month our issue's theme is "what defines you." So my last question is, whether it be as a band or as individuals, what defines you?Urban Cone: We're four best friends and we're really good at making cocktails (Emil), drawing weird and funny pictures (Tim), getting lost in every city we go to (Rasmus), and eating avocados (Jacob).

Be sure to catch Urban Cone on tour across the United States and Canada starting May 23rd. If you haven’t yet, give Urban Cone a listen on their Spotify and keep up with their Twitter and Instagram to see what they come up with next!